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Breastmilk composition after around 6 months

I called my state breastfeeding hotline the other day and spoke with an IBCLC.

She told me that after 6 months, our milk starts to be more concentrated. She said basically that it's nature's way of compensating for our LOs being distracted and not nursing as long, etc.

She said that there are more calories and fat per oz. in breastmilk as your baby ages. And that they truly will take in fewer ounces.

While I normally believe all the flippin' UH-MAZING things I read about breastmilk and how it changes with our babies' needs and stuff, I had not read that myself.

I do know that as babies age they nurse less SOMETIMES, and that this varies widely based on personality, teething, illness, etc., but I always thought it was because they remove more milk in a shorter amount of time and with fewer nursings.

I know she wouldn't lie or make it up. She is board certified. But I would love to read more information somewhere reliable about this, and wondered if anyone else had heard this.

She was essentially trying to ease my mind that I'm nursing my still striking 6.5 month old enough.

Re: Breastmilk composition after around 6 months

Funny, I have heard the opposite, granted not from official sources, though.
According to some moms I've talked to (and apparently their pediatricians), the "quality" of breastmilk takes a dip after 6 months, which is why it's "important" that baby starts getting the "missing" nutrition from other sources (i.e. solids).
My mom told me I was exclusively BF for one year, had absolutely no solids until then... and I grew just fine and was always a healthy kid!

Re: Breastmilk composition after around 6 months

Originally Posted by @llli*lolaminis

Funny, I have heard the opposite, granted not from official sources, though.
According to some moms I've talked to (and apparently their pediatricians), the "quality" of breastmilk takes a dip after 6 months, which is why it's "important" that baby starts getting the "missing" nutrition from other sources (i.e. solids).
My mom told me I was exclusively BF for one year, had absolutely no solids until then... and I grew just fine and was always a healthy kid!

I kinda want to believe what your IBCLC told you!!

What I had always been told at the pedi is that at 6 months, babies' iron reserves are used up. And that also around 6 months, they start to get more mobile and just need some extra calories. So not so much that our milk's quality changes but that our babies' needs change.

I wish I would've asked her to point me in the direction of where this info came from.

Re: Breastmilk composition after around 6 months

the milk does get more concentrated, as i've recently read in several books, to compensate for babies nursing less. i've heard that this is after a year or so, but it makes sense that it would be a gradual process. tomorrow i can look it up in the Breastfeeding Answers Made Simple to confirm it. but babies are born with iron reserves to take them through 6-9 or 9-12 months, depending on who you ask. their milk intake in oz is actually pretty much stable from 6ish weeks to 6 months, when it begins to decline as they take in more solids.

ETA: in contrast to formula, which is the same all the time, so amounts have to be increased as babies grow.

Re: Breastmilk composition after around 6 months

Amazing!! I can't wait to use this information when my in-laws start to ridicule me about breast feeding. Since they know SO LITTLE about breastfeeding and it's benefits - whenever they start to nag me about it I love to throw out little pieces of info like this as a "come back". Our bodies are SO amazing and I think people are so quick to give up because they are so uneducated! I would love more info about this.

~ Andrea

Happily married to Scott (11-28-09)Proud mama of Brielle Morgan (3-7-12). Bent on breastfeeding - no matter how many hurdles we have to jump over. Working full time so we're "winging it" with everything else and doing what works best for us.